Top designers from around the Arab world, including Oman’s very own Ahmed Al Balushi of the Kash5aful brand, presented their creative, vibrant collections at ‘Stories from Arabia’, the largest Arab platform for emerging and established designers at London Fashion Week. London based journalist Rabi’ah M. met Ahmed Balushi and UAE designer Maysoon Al Shami of Dar Maysoon fame, to present a peek into their collections.
On 19th February 2018, the glamorous city of London witnessed an exceptional event – ‘Stories from Arabia’ – as part of the London Fashion Week season. What made the event unique was not just its attention-grabbing name, but the fact that it provided Arab fashion designers with an excellent platform to showcase their creativity and talent. Participating fashion designers were from Morocco, Oman and the U.A.E – making Oman proud was Ahmed Al Balushi of Kash5aful, who displayed a unique collection that won the applause of the crowd. Maysoon Al Shami, representing the UAE, also kept the ramp mesmerised with her beautifully crafted Abayas.
Ahmed Al Balushi’s Kash5aful Flavours
“As an Omani designer, I have always wanted to play a role in raising the flag of my country internationally in the fashion field. This event was no less than what I had expected. It was a combination of a milestone and a successful achievement in my fashion career,” said Ahmed Al Balushi, who was presenting his brand for the first time in London.
Calling it a successful event, he said it will help him in growing his experience in the fashion industry. “The prospect of taking part for the first time in London was certainly a challenge, which I dealt with successfully,” he stated, pointing out that the feedback was positive from the European fashion connoisseurs who witnessed his work.
His main aspiration regarding this event was to showcase a collection that stands out for its Arabian concept and yet has its roots in the contemporary fashion world. “Also, representing the common colours of the flags of the Gulf countries was one of the aims of this collection,” he added.
Talking about his fashion inspirations, he said, “Being a fashion designer and an architect has led my inspirations to a point where the structural element is apparent in the collection.” He has found a niche for Kash5aful with designs that have an Arabian touch with modest fits, but are contemporary in their concept.
Dar Maysoon from Maysoon Al Shami
“I wanted to introduce to the crowd our cultural designs and fashion. Stories from Arabia, with its wide media coverage, was the perfect platform,” stated UAE designer Maysoon Al Shami, who presented black abaya haute couture from her brand ‘Dar Maysoon’.
Buoyed by the successfully concluded event, she said she was particularly motivated by the response from the audience and the compliments that came in from the social media.
As a designer, she finds inspiration from the beauty and feminism expressed by Abaya. Design, high-quality fabrics and accessories, detailed finishes and personalized attention are the hallmarks of her designs, which are unique in every way. “All details are handmade,” she pointed out.
Although she has previously participated in fashion events in London, this was also her first outing at the London Fashion Week.
